Idowu Daramola, 48 of Thornwood, N.Y., appeared in Jersey City today to answer a charge of death-by-auto in the death of 8-month-old Angelie Paredes. Daramola was allegedly using a cell phone while driving a bus involved in a chain reaction crash that led to the baby girl's death.Courtesy of Hudson County Sheriff's Office

JERSEY CITY — In the wake of a bus driver's arrest following a crash that killed an 8-month-old baby girl in West New York, Sheriff Frank Schillari said today he has ordered a massive crackdown on local bus companies and will be investigating their headquarters and conducting random stops of the vehicles.

Bus driver Idowu Daramola, who was charged in Tuesday's crash, had so many traffic tickets that it was “ludicrous” he was still behind the wheel, Schillari said today.

“This tragedy would have been averted, had we caught up with this driver through the regular channels, but apparently it just slipped through," said Schillari, adding that Daramola's commercial driver's license was from New York — not New Jersey.

The man slouched down in a green jumper with weary eyes and muttered when asked questions from Judge Sheila Venable. She said he did not qualify for a public defender , and Daramola told the judge he did not yet have an attorney.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Mike D’Andrea argued that the bail should remain high because Daramola is a flight risk, with the accused man notching three outstanding warrants in which he failed to appear in court.

Schillari said after the hearing that additional charges may be filed.